A change in diet sparked a change in Avondale Estates resident Sharonda Frazier’s life.

After realizing her and her daughter’s negative health conditions were a result of consuming products with gluten and dairy, Frazier revamped her diet two years ago eliminating those types of ingredients. In June, she opened Good Karma Coffee House, also in Avondale Estates, which serves up baked goods that are free of gluten, dairy, nuts and soy.

Frazier explained the flour she bakes with has a lot of do with meeting those dietary specifications.

“We still use flour and we still use grains but they’re not grains that are considered containing wheat or gluten,” she said.

One such ingredient is sorghum flour, which Frazier describes as hearty, like the equivalent of eating whole-grain bread.

The coffee served is from Counter Culture and is an organic, fair trade product, she added. Although the baked goods are dairy-free, customers can choose to flavor their coffee with milk, if they wish, or non-dairy products.

Regularly baking according to special dietary requirements has taught Frazier how to adjust traditional recipes to substitute for dairy or ingredients with gluten.

“As you do it more, you get very familiar [with what ingredients to use],” she said.

Frazier said she takes suggestions from customers about new goodies to make.

“If people ask us for things, we try to fill that need if the demand is high enough,” she said.

Her customers were the ones who suggested she expand the menu to include breakfast sandwiches. Frazier said the community’s response to the coffee house has been very positive. She gets business from word-of-mouth and customers who want to try to eat gluten-free.

“Once a customer comes in, we usually see them on a pretty regular basis,” she added.

Frazier partners with the Cook’s Warehouse to offer classes demonstrating gluten-free recipes. In February, she will teach a class focused on cupcakes and desserts, and in May, she will teach a class on creating a Mother’s Day breakfast.

She explained she teaches others gluten-free recipes so they can make them at home for their families as well as being able to purchase them at her coffee shop.

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